Novel CMM software from Delcam supports clay model machining
1 min read
Delcam's new software for CMM machines, PI-ClayMILLING, is on show at Euromold, Frankfurt, from 29 November to 2 December, on the Stiefelmayer stand.
The novel combination of CMM and software for machining is intended primarily for use in automotive styling, but could also have applications in other industries that use clay models for design reviews.
The CMM can be used as a multi-purpose tool for inspection, marking out and milling, when operated with PowerINSPECT and the new PI-ClayMILLING software.
Depending on the size of the CMM, PI-ClayMILLING allows the designer to machine a complete car body or sections of the design. The design can be re-machined using digitised curves or scan data.
The new software is based on Delcam's PowerMILL CAM system for high speed and 5-axis machining. However, it features a completely new interface that gives the system the same look and feel as Delcam's PowerINSPECT inspection software, which has been supplied by Stiefelmayer for many years, so existing customers will find the software easy to learn.
PI-ClayMILLING comprises a number of templates for the machining techniques that are needed in styling applications, such as raster machining, Z-level area clearance and rest finishing. The full range of PowerMILL strategies is available in the background, so additional templates can be created, if required, either by an expert user in the company or by Delcam's support team.
The clay milling software can use all of the data translation options available for PowerMILL and PowerINSPECT, including standard formats, such as IGES, STEP and VDA, and direct translators for leading design software like CATIA, Siemens NX and Autodesk. Similarly, the software can use the process visualisation from PowerINSPECT to check the toolpaths on the computer before sending them to the CMM.
Stefan Schneider, metrology specialist at Delcam GmbH, has worked with Stiefelmayer to develop and test the PI-ClayMILLING software. "CMMs have been used in design studios for more than 20 years," he commented. "By using our new software with the latest CMMs, we can add extra capabilities to this equipment."
